Simply the best salad…ever!

I try to serve a salad at every meal. Our go-to salad is prepared with hearts of romaine and a variety of whatever fresh vegetables we have on hand. I love tomatoes and often add tomatoes in a variety of different shapes, sizes and colors. In my geographic area, Trader Joe’s and Costco sell a medley of heirloom tomatoes in various size packages. They are my favorite salad ingredient.

I usually try to eliminate or reduce the oil in salad dressings. I find that the spices and acid components of dressings are essential for flavor and most of the time, the oil is unnecessary or can be greatly reduced.

The dressing for this salad is best made by sprinkling the spices and drizzling the liquid ingredients directly on the vegetables right before serving. That way, the salad remains light, fresh and not weighed down by the dressing. Any additional toppings (see variations) should be sprinkled on after the dressing and then tossed right before serving.

Right before serving, sprinkle salt and pepper on top of vegetables. Lightly drizzle with balsamic vinegar and oil. Toss all salad ingredients together. Enjoy!

NOTES

Kosher laws disallow the eating of any whole insects and therefore most greens require a process of soaking, rinsing and in some cases, pureeing. Kashrut authorities differ somewhat on the proper checking of leafy vegetables. This blog was not designed to be your kosher authority, so please consult your local rabbinic authority regarding using greens such as romaine lettuce.